The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

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"We are told in very general terms about proposals which are constitutionally suspect and reflect an unattractive executive disdain for judicial process."

Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne admitted there was risk involved but insisted the legislation the government will introduce within the next fortnight would mitigate the risk "as far as humanly possible".

"There's always risk involved in every decision like this, every piece of legislation, particularly around national security," Mr Pyne told Network Ten's Bolt Report on Sunday.

"In the end, that'll be a matter for the High Court to decide, should it be litigated in the High Court."

Labor has provided in-principle support for the proposal but says it wants to see the detail.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten called on the government to present the legislation to parliament and brief the Labor party on its proposal.

"We will be bipartisan on what works," he told reporters in Canberra.

"We're very concerned that the experts upon whom the government is relying for these measures seem to be contradicting what the government is proposing to do."

Labor wanted to see a proposal based on expert advice with respect for the separation of powers, not "rushed and poorly drafted" legislation that would end up in the High Court, he said.